Jar-opener



DE Wm TOWER.

JAR'OPENER.

APPLICATION men MAR- 5. 1919 Patented Nov. 2, 1920.

Warner:

DE WITT TOWER, OF SPENCER, MASSACHUSETTS.

JAR-OPENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 2, 1920.

Application filed March 5, 1919. Serial No. 280,769.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Dn Wrm TOWER, a citizenof the United States, residing at Spencer, in the county of Worcesterand State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful J ar-Openerof which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a device for raising the covers of glasstopped fruit jars of the so-called Lightning type for example and theprincipal object thereof is to provide a device of extreme simplicitywhich will avoid the common fault of fruit jar openers, namely theapplication of the pressure to a single point. By distributing thepressure substantially all the way around I avoid the common fault oftending to break the glass cover or jar. Another object of the inventionto provide a construction which without adjustment is capable of use forall such jars of ordinary sizes and can be used independently of theparticular make and desi n thereof; and especially to provide a devicewhich can be made of only two parts if desired and will involve verylittle expense inmanufacture.

Further objects and advantages ofthe invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompany ing drawings, in which- Y *igure1 is a plan of a part of a jar with a preferred embodiment of this invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the parts in the position assumed whenturned far enough to raise the cover;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3'3 of Fig. 2 showing the partsin the same position, and 7 Figs. 4- and 5 are plans of modified formscoming within the scope of this invention.

So far as I am aware it has been the universal fault of all openers forglass topped jars of the type specified that they applied the pressureat a single point or at two diametrically opposite points, thusconcentrating the pressure and tending. to break or crack the cover orjar. I am aware of the fact that devices have been provided in which aband extends around the jar or cover for the purpose of providing asupport for a single cutting edge or wedge which necessarily has theabove mentioned defect because all the force is concentrated at onepoint. i

My invention at first sight appears similar to jar openers of that typebecause 1 provide a. band which extends around the jar and pivot to it ahandle which is tilted to open the jar. However my invention involvesfundamental differences over the above mentioned type of jar opener forin stead of using the band to support a lever and cutting edge I use theband solely for i the purpose of acting as a wedge itself and applyingthe pressure substantially all the way around the circumference. of thejar directly under theedge of the cover so as to raise the cover withoutapplying any more pressure at one point than at another. In fact the useof a wedge attached directly to the tilting handle is entirely done awaywith by my invention, except that the surround- "ing wire itself is usedfor that purpose, but

it is used in a very different way and has a very diiferent result aswill appear. It is-to be'distinctly understood that thisinvention is notin any sense a wrench and is incapable" of effective use for unscrewingthe Mason screw cover or any other'cover of that type. Referringparticularly to the drawlngs 1t will be seen that I have shown theinvention in the first three figures as applied to a well-known type ofglass jar. In this form of the invention it comprises a handle 10 .withan integral flange 11, at one end, this flange having a convex surface12 adapted to engage with the upper part of the jar and with the cover.In other words L it bridges the space between the jar and cover andbears on both of them when put in place for operation. This element 10and 11 is merely a handle and abutment, the handle serving as a leverwith the abutment as its fulcrum. It has no sharp edge and although theflange 11 comes against the edge of the jar and cover its pressure isdistributed between the two and exertedin the plane of the top of thejar and it 'canuse of a flexible member .13 which extends around the jarat the top preferably over the packing ring and just under the inwardlyslanting lower edge of the cover.

This flexible member is made OI such a form as to exert a wedglng actionon the bottom of the cover when drawn. in between it and the supportingledge on the jar below it.

This can be accomplished by giving ita speclalshape 1f desired, but Ifind 1n prac-,. tice that an ordmary wlre of circular cross sectionfurnlshes all the wedglng action that isdesired. 7

From a comparison of Figs. 1 and 2 it will be seen that the flexiblewire member 13 isnsimply placed over the cover and brought downintoproper position as described above, so that the flange 11' bears on thecover and jar and then the, handle 10; I is turned in either directionfrom the nor-.

maluntil the wire 13 is forced inwardly all around. far enough to .liftthe cover as I shown in Figs 2 and 3," and let the air under. In thisway itwill be observed that the cover is raised by pressure exertedequally on substantially the entire circumference of its lower edge andno point on this circumference gets an excess of pressure.

Therefore no opportunity is provided for breaking or crackingit.Likewise the pres Although some of them involve bands ex tending. aroundthe jar or cover for. sup-.

porting a separate wedge or knife edge, they always depend on the latterfor opening the jar. The wedge is depended on either to lift the coverorto penetrate over the rub ber' packing ring and let air into the jar.

* Apparently it has been thought heretofore that it was advantageous toapply the pressure all at onepoint because it is obviously necessaryonlytolet air in at a single point in order torelieve the cover fromatmospheric pressure which holds it in place.

It'is obvious, however, that as the jar .cover is rigid andnot flexiblethere is no possibility of raising it at one point without tilting it onits diametrically opposite edge and releasing it all the way around.Therefore the exertion of the pressure at one point .is thewrongprinciple. The pressure should be exerted practically all the way aroundthe cover. The principal advantage in this invention lies in the factthat: by the distribution of the pressure in this manner the which havebeen stated above.

possibility of breaking the cover or jar is practically entirely avoldedfor reasons Another important advantage of this invention lies in thefact that without adjustment ofthe wire 13 the device can be ap plied tojars of smaller sizes than the one shown, merely by swinging the handle10 farther around. In other words a single implement is suitable forapplication to jars ofall. ordinary sizes. But I do not limit myself tothe avoidance of adjustment.

Although the form shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 has proved to besatisfactory for the desired purpose I find that other forms can be usedand in Fig. 4 I have shown a form involving a handle 20 rigidlyconnected with a cylinder 21 which in this case I have shown as flat andcontinuous with the handleon top. The ends of the band 13 extendthrough, the cylinder and their ends secured. This cylindrical member 21then serves as the abutment or fulcrum of the lever as in the othercase. r

In Fig. 5 I have shown a handle or lever 30 with an extension 32 at anangle to it. One end of the wire 13 ispivoted to a stud 33-on the end ofthis extension and the other end to. a stud on the elbow formed betweenthe two parts 30 and 32. This is a still simpler construction of handle,as in this form I intend the member 30-32 to be a flat piece ofv metalnot necessarily bridging the space between the jar and cover as m.

the other two cases, althoughthat princi le can be used with this formif desired. ut

if it is not used then the end of the part 32-will necessarily come incontact with. the cover and it can be separated in the same way asdescribed above. By pivoting the ends of the wire itis made moredurable. This feature can be employed in connection with the otherforms.

AlthoughI have illustrated and described only three forms of theinvention I am aware of the fact thatother modifications can be madetherein by any person skilled in'the art without departing from thescope of the invention as expressed in the claims. Therefore I do notwish: to be limited to all the details of construction hereinshown anddescribed but what I do claim is 1. In a jar opener the combination witha smooth flexible wire adapted to surround a jar between the top thereofand the lower edge of the cover and convex means connected with bothends of said wire at one side and having a material thicknessto preventit from entering between the'jar and the cover and adapt it for rollingon the ex terior surface of the jar or cover, above or below the packingrubber and drawing both ends of the wire simultaneously toward eachother circumferentially and forcing the entire wire under thecoversubstantially all the way around to act as acircumferentialcontinuous wedgeand raise it fromthe ar without turnlng the cover.

2. As an article of manufacture, a jar opener consisting of a rigidhandle and a flexible Wire connection adapted to surround the jar belowthe cover thereof and entering the space between the top of the jar andthe cover, said handle having on the end thereof a convex surface orabutment extending substantially both above and below the flexibleconnection in position to engage the edge of the jar and the edge of thecover on opposite sides of the flexible con nection and to roll on saidsurfaces.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto afiixed my signature. i

DE WITT TOWER.

